1. Field
The field relates to a plasma display device, and an apparatus and a method for driving the same.
2. Description of the Related Technology
A plasma display device is a flat panel display that uses plasma generated by gas discharge to display characters or images. A display panel of the plasma display device includes a plurality of discharge cells (hereinafter, simply called cells) arranged in a matrix pattern.
The plasma display device is driven by dividing one frame into a plurality of subfields each subfield having a luminance weight. In this case, luminance of a cell for a frame is determined by the sum of the luminance weights of subfields for the frame.
In addition, each subfield includes a reset period, an address period, and a sustain period. The reset period is used for initializing a wall charge state of each discharge cell, and the address period is used for performing an addressing operation so as to select on-cells or off-cells. The sustain period is used for displaying an image by sustain-discharging the on-cells selected in the address period for a duration that corresponds to the luminance weight of the corresponding subfield.
In the reset period, the wall charge state is initialized through a weak discharge induced by applying a gradually decreasing voltage waveform to a scan electrode after applying a gradually increasing voltage waveform (hereinafter called a reset rising waveform) to the scan electrode. During the sustain period, the sustain discharge is induced at the on-cells by applying a sustain pulse with opposite phases to a scan electrode and a sustain electrode.
In a typical plasma display device, a circuit for applying the reset rising waveform to the scan electrode and a circuit for applying the sustain pulse to the scan electrode are separately arranged.
That is, a voltage (hereinafter called a reset rising voltage) used for the reset rising waveform and a voltage (hereinafter called a sustain voltage) used for the sustain pulse are different voltage levels, and a power source for supplying the reset rising voltage and a power source for supplying the sustain voltage are separately arranged. Further, a switch for applying the reset rising voltage to the scan electrode and a switch for applying the sustain voltage to the scan electrode are separately arranged. Since the reset rising voltage and the sustain voltage are high voltages, high cost switches having high maximum tolerance voltages are used for these switches.
According to such a scheme, because the reset rising voltage and the sustain voltage are different voltage levels, a separate element is used so as to prevent a current path from being formed toward the power source for supplying the reset rising voltage or the power source for supplying the sustain voltage. Accordingly, there is disadvantageous circuit complexity.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.